


Exes & Opportunities

by sophh



Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 31 Days of Writing Challenge, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Exes, M/M, Weasleys Witches & Writers' Hump Day Prompts, mentioned canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27394084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: When George discovers Seamus working at a nearby coffee shop, he ends up making his ex an offer to leave that job behind.
Relationships: Seamus Finnigan/George Weasley
Series: 31 Days of Writing Challenge [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945717
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4
Collections: 31 Days of Writing Challenge - Fall 2020





	Exes & Opportunities

**Author's Note:**

> Written for WWW's Hump Day Drabble prompt: Character A discovers Character B working at a nearby coffee shop making ends meet. Character A makes Character B an offer to leave the shop behind. 
> 
> Also written for the 31 Days of Writing Challenge, October 29th: an AU.

There was a new coffee shop in Diagon Alley, and George was first in line to try it. He couldn't resist a good cup of coffee, and he wasn't much for sleep anyway—not since Fred had died. He focused most of his time and energy on Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and that often meant staying up late to tinker with an idea, thus necessitating the existence of good, drinkable coffee. 

As he stepped up to the counter, still thinking about the previous night's project (Detection Doohickeys, little gadgets that could signal when a particular person was nearby), he suddenly realized that the barista looked familiar. 

_Very_ familiar. 

"Seamus?" he whispered. He hadn't seen the other man since the Battle of Hogwarts. Since the day his whole world had fallen apart in more ways than one. He hadn't just lost his twin brother that day—he had also lost the love of his life. 

The love of his life who was now standing right in front of him. 

Seamus cast his eyes down for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. George recognized the signs—Seamus didn't want to talk. But George did. 

"How—how are you, Seamus?" he asked. His voice sounded abnormally loud, but maybe that was because he felt like he had entered a bubble where he and Seamus were the only two people present. 

His ex looked exhausted and worn, with heavy bags under his eyes and far less meat on his bones than George remembered—and George had once been an expert on all things Seamus. Now, however, he might as well have been a stranger. George barely recognized him. 

It had been a stupid question to ask, and George wasn't really surprised when Seamus ignored it. "What can I get you?" he said flatly. 

"Mocha latte. And...this cupcake," George said, holding up the butterbeer-flavored confection. He watched as Seamus tapped his wand on a very complicated-looking machine. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter. "Look, I get that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I just want to know that you're okay. If you get a break later, can you come by the shop?" 

Seamus didn't respond aloud, but the slight nod of his head filled George with a sort of optimism that stretched his face into a wide smile—the kind of smile he hadn't exhibited since Fred's death. 

When his coffee was ready, he left an extra Sickle and Galleon for the sandy-haired barista. 

***

Two hours had passed since George had seen Seamus, and he was finding it hard to concentrate on his usual tasks. There was a lot of tedium involved in running a brick and mortar store, but George usually found ways to pass the time. Not today, however. Today, there was a persistent knot in his stomach that wouldn't go away no matter what he did. 

"It's just Seamus," he told himself over and over. "He said he'd come, and he will. He _has_ to." 

Two years ago, George would have believed those words. Two years ago, he would have known without the shadow of a doubt that Seamus would show up. Now, he didn't know what to expect. Maybe Seamus had only nodded to appease him. Maybe he was hoping that George would simply forget about his presence in Diagon Alley. 

As if George could ever forget about him. 

"Er, Mr. Weasley?" 

George looked up to find Verity staring at him. "Yes, Verity?"

"Are...are you feeling okay, sir?" The blonde-haired witch nodded at the two fuchsia Pygmy Puffs he held in his hands. "I think you might be throttling the poor creatures." 

George noted the distress on their little faces with some alarm, and quickly released his hold on them. Squeaking madly, they rolled out of his hands and onto the floor, their falls cushioned by their large puffs of fur. 

_"Accio!"_ Verity said hastily, grabbing the Puffs as they went flying towards her. "I'll just put these back in their cage, sir…" 

George rubbed his eyes. "That would be great, Verity, thank you." 

As soon as Verity walked away, he let out a sigh. If Seamus didn't show up soon, he was _really_ going to muck something up. 

***

Every time the bell over the door jangled, George would experience an unpleasant jolt as he looked over to see who was coming into the shop. It had now been over three hours since his visit to the coffee shop and his chat with Seamus, and he was beginning to think that his ex had merely been indulging him. 

The bell went off again, and George jerked his head toward the door once more. His eyes widened when he saw the thin figure with sandy hair. 

_Seamus._

George had to hold himself back, to resist the urge to run over and wrap his arms around the other man. Instead, he cleared his throat and gave Seamus an awkward little wave that he immediately regretted. 

"You came," he said, his voice coming out as a sort of croak. "I—I wasn't sure you would." 

"I thought I should at least thank you for the tip," was all that Seamus said. 

"Oh." George tried to smile. If that was the only reason Seamus had come by, then his optimism that morning had been sorely misplaced. "Well, you're welcome." 

Silence fell between them, as thick and suffocating as a Smokescreen Spell. Seamus seemed to want to look everywhere _except_ at George, and George was just trying not to let his disappointment show on his face. 

Finally, he decided to float an idea that he'd had, to see if Seamus had any interest. "Er, how do you like working at Caradoc's Coffee so far? I know it's your first day, but..." He trailed off, feeling a bit foolish. Seamus had always had a way of making an idiot out of him. 

His ex shrugged. "I like it well enough. Pay is decent and I'm lined up for a bunch of shifts." 

"That's... that's great, Seamus," George managed. "But I was thinking, er, this shop has really gotten busy, and I could use an extra hand." 

Seamus was nodding. "Yeah, I suspected you'd be needing more help, after…well, the war." 

George knew that he had been about to mention Fred's death and was suddenly very grateful that he hadn't. After a long pause, he said, "So, what do you think? Would you be willing to consider coming to work for me? Whatever you're making at Caradoc's, I'll double it." 

Seamus was quiet for a moment, and George found himself holding his breath as he waited for a reply. Maybe he had made a mistake. Maybe there was too much unspoken trauma that they both needed to work through before they could see each other regularly. 

But then Seamus nodded. 

Seamus _nodded,_ and George thought his heart might burst with happiness. "I'll think about it, George." 

It was the first time that George had heard Seamus use his name in a very long time, and he couldn't stop a massive grin from taking up residence on his face. For now, even Seamus' "maybe" was good enough for him. 


End file.
